Harvesting machine



Nov. 27, 1928.

P. K-ETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1923 14 Sheets-Sheet 1 N0v.27,192s. 1,692,899

. P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1923 14 Sheets-Sheet 2 @Hiking NOV. 27, 1928. 1,692,899

P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1923 14 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov 27, 1928. 1,692,899

P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1925 14 SheetsSheet 4 Nov. 27, 1928.

P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE F'iled Nov. 22, 192s 14 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 27, 1928. 1,692,899

. P. KETELsEN HARVESTING' MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1923 l 14 Sheets-Sheet 6 Nov. 27, 1928. 1,692,899

- P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1925 14 Sheets-Sheet 7 TIE; E TIE. if:

@Normal 14 Sheets-Sheet B P. KETELsEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed No5/.'22, 192s Nav. 27, .1928.

14 Sheets-Sheet 9 P. KETELS'EN HARVESTING MACHINE med Nov 22, 192s Nov. 27, 1928.

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Nov. 27, 1928. l P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22,1925 ,f 14 sheets-sheet 10 T15. E El www flthnnuj T15. l'Z

Nov. 27, 1928.

P. KETELSEN HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1923 14 Sheets-Sheet 11` www aumento:

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Nov. 27, 1928. 1,692,899

P.- KETELsEN 'BARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1925 14 Sheets-Sheet 15 o P-La. E E

t 197 il 313 3/1 als inventor P. KETELSEN HA'RVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1923 4 14 Sheets-Sheet 14 Nov.l 27, 1928.

Patented Nov. 27, 19.28.

UNITED STATES PETER KETELSEN, OF DENVER, CGLORADO.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

Appli-cation filed November 22, 1923.

This invention relates to harvesting machines and proposes the construction of a machine in which the grain is cut, bound, formed into a shock and delivered to the field, progressively and by automatic means, and normally without the necessity of' human intervention.

The principal object of the invention is to produce a harvesting machine of the shock forming type in which the shock f'orming and delivering mechanism is operated by fluid pressure, whereby the functioning of the same is made more flexible than is possible with positively mechanically operated mechanism, to the varying conditions of the standing grain.

Other objects of the invention concern themselves with the novel combinations and sub-combinations of structural features which cooperate in the attainment of the desired result, and in the specific details of construction hereinafter described and included within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation, of the shockforming machine.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is an end elevation viewed from the side adjacent the shock-forming chamber.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation with the door of the shock-forming chamber raised and partly broken away.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a transverse section through the shock-forming chamber taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken through a portion of the shock-forming chamber in a plane just above the packing arms taken along the line 7 7 of' Fig. 4.

Figure 8 is a transverse section through the shock bar showing details of t-he power transmission mechanism taken along the line 8 8 of Fig. 9.

Figure 9 is a top planv view partly in section of the structure shown in FigureS.

Figur-e 10 is a cross section on the line 10 10 of' Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detail of the chute and chuteadiusting means. f

Figure 12 is asection. on the line 12 12 ot lFigure 8.

Serial No. 676,343.

Figure 13 is a section on the line 13 13 of Figure 5.

Figure 14 is a detail of the reel elevating mechanism.

Figure 15 is a section on the line 15 15 of Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a detail of the reel elevating pawl and ratchet. f

Figure 17 is a section through th-e rotary valve taken along the line 7 7 of Figure 2, showing also the straw-tie operating mechanism.

Figure 18 is a plan view of the fiXed ported plate of the rotary valve.

Figure 19 is a horizontal section through the lower part of the valve casing taken along the line 19-19 of Fig. 17.

Figure 20 is a plan view of' the rotary valve.

Figures 21, 22 and 23 show consecutively,

the position assumed by the rotary valve parts when the air supply is in communication with the cylinder end 121, their position when the air supply is connected to the lower end of the cylinder 125, and their position when the lower end of the cylinder 125 is vented to the atmosphere through the rxhaust passage.

Figure 24 is a diagrammatic view of the fluid pressure system.

Figure 25 is a section through the means for rotating the sheaf holding magazine, showing also in plan the rotary valve operating mechanism.

Figures 26 and 27 show plan views of the rotary valve clutch pawl respectively in positions of release and engagement.

Figure 28fis a section through the sheafholding magazine and operating cylinder with the magazine down taken along the line 28-28 of Fig. 2L

Figure 29 is a view of the same structure with the magazine raised.

Figure 30 is a section showing the attaching means for the impaling spurs taken along the line 30-30 of Fig. 31.

Figure 31 is a section on the line 31-31 of Figure 30.

Figure 32 is a section throughI the upper end of the cylinder shown in Figure 28 taken along the line 32-32 of Fig. 33.

Figure 33 is a plan view of the upper end of said cylinder. Y

Figure 34 is a detail view in section showing` the levers for actuating the clutch which is concerned in the operation of the rotary valve, and the clutch for .severing the driv ing connection to the conveyor mechanism taken along the line 34-34 of Fig. 2.

Figure 35 is a section on the line 35?)5 of Figure 7.

Figure 3o is a detail view of ithe tripfor one of the straw-tie levers.

Figures 37 to l0 inclusive show the strawtie levers in successive operative positions.

Figure el isa detail vieuT of the grainengraging forks of the reel mechanism. V

Figures l2 and 48 are sectional views of the Geneva lo-ck used in controlling the rotary valve.

Referring noiv in detail to the several ligures, the numeral 1 represents a platform supported at its opposite ends by the vehicle Wheels 2 and 3. Said platform may be made of any desired shape to suit the requirements vof construction and use, but is here shown as comprising` a broad portion on the left hand side, vicvved in Figure 2. for the support of the shock forming mechanism, a narrow elongated portion extending to the right and constituting the frame of the sickle bar and a support for the other features of the harvesting mechanism. For the purpose of determining the Width of the wheel base irrespective of the total width of the platform 1 one of the vehicle Wheels, for instance the Wheel 3, maybe secured to said platform at an intermediate point asshovin instead of at the end. The platform is provided in front With a hitch 4;, affording; means byvvhich the machine may be attached to a tractor or other source of locomotive power, which hitch may be raised or lowered to moet the coupling of the tractor by means of a link 395, connected to a hand lever 396 which operates alon` a detent bar 897. The machine is also designed to obtain power from the tractor through the universal coupling 5. lt is also adapted to obtain a supply of compressed air for the operation of the fluid pressure actuated features of the shock forming and delivering mechanism through a supply conduit V6 connected to a suitable air compresser, not

shown, but preferably carriedby and oper` ated by said tractor.

The sickle bar is of usual construction, having the knives 7 which oscill ate between fniards 8fthe latter boina' carried by the narrow portion of the platform, lnthe physical embodiment which forms thebasis of the description of my invention, the sickle vhar is driven by a crank 9, the latter being pivotally supported on the platform and fixed to a power shaft 12 Which derives' power from a Worm Wheel 11 meshing with a Worm 13 carried by the shaft 11i, Whichin turn is connected to the universal coupling 5. ln order to prevent possible damage to the' machine should the mechanism for any reason 'become jammed, the shaft 14 and the coupling 5 are connected by friction transmission means 10 adapted to afford slippage'betvveen the universal coupling and shaft 14 should an undue torque he developed in the operation of said shaft. lThat portion of the platform which carries the sickle bar is inclined downwardly toward' the rear of the machine forming a ledge 15 upon Which the butt ends of the cut =grain-stalks are'adapted to rest. Said ledge is surrounded at the rear side and at theends respectively by aback Wall 16 andendL Walls 17 'and 18 lWhich may be formed of sheet vmetal of appropriate thickness, said Walls togetherfforming afrack for the support of k'the cut grain rlhe end Walls lalso carry bearings for the reel 19, thespeciiic construction of which Will now be described.

Incidentally, it is `to be' understood that the precise nature of the elements relied upon in the construction of the presentexemplary embodiment of the invention, and the particular arrangement of -said parts, has been determined rather bythe resources at the command of the-'modelanaker than'by the requirements' of use, 'and'that theinvention may later be embodied -in other equivalent structural assemblages and 'arrangements Without departing from ytheE inventive principle or principles defined Iin the'appended claims.

The reel is'freely mounted upon va rod 2O which passes through slots 21 and-22 formed respectively in the end walls 17 and 18 of the grain racks. Said slots extend in aiplane or planes substantially parallel tothe plane of the hack Wall of the grain rack, and are for the purposeof permitting' the rod 20, and with it'the-reellf)` to beadjustably raised or lowered to suit the height 'of the straw and the condition of the grain to be cut.- For instance. if the grain is blown over the reel must be set closer tothe ground than `vvould be necessary if the Iria-in were erect. To alter the elevationA of the reel involves the provision of means such as the block 25 which Vaffords a bearing not only for thel reel rod 20. but also for the shaft through'ivhich rotation is imparted to the reel. The'hlock 25 is supported between the end iva-ll 17 and a Wall 24s which is arranged parallel to the Wall 17 and spaced therefrom. rl`he block is arranged to slide bet-Ween said Walls. The rod20 is journall'ed in a bore in the loiver portion of the block 25 Landlhas the end 26 thereof extending' beyond said block and through a slot 27 in the Wall 24. The slot 27 is similar to the lslot'22 in the vend Wall 18 in respect to its len.;th,fvvidth, and the direction in which it extends. The slot 21, in the end Wall 17, on the other hand., is of greater Width, for a purpose Which'vvill presently appear. rloothed rack bars 28 and 29 are arranged on the outer faces of the walls 18 and 211 adjacent the slots 21 and 27, and the opposite ends of the rod llltl.

ile

2O are provided with pinions SO and 31 which mesh with the teeth on the respective rack bars. By rotating the rod 2O said pinions are made to roll along the rack bars thus lowering or raisingthe rod 2O in said slots and with it changing the elevation of the reel. Rotation of the rod 2O is accomplished by means such as the hand lever 32 which is pivotally mounted upon the end of the rod and is provided with a reversible pawl 33 positioned so as to act operably upon the teeth of a pinion 853 n'iounted on the inner end of the rod 20. Said rod is detained in any position adjustment by means of a spring pressed plunger 53, housed in a bore in the block and seatable in any one of the series of de pressons 54- formed circumferentially in the surface of the rod Q0. Tension of the plunger is deterniined by adjusting the nut 55 against the spring 55.

The reel 19 which, as hereinbefore stated.

is loosely mounted upon the rod 20, is fixedly carried by a sleeve 35 surrounding said shaft. Power is transn'iitted to said sleeve by internieshing bevel gears 3G and 57, tl e former carried by the sleeve and the latter by a shaft 38 which is journally supported in the block 25. Since the block slides relative to the xed part of the mechanism, power transmission means of variable length must be provided between the gear 36 and the drive shaft eil. This may be accomplished by making the upper part of the shaft 38 polygonal as shown, and passing it through a similarly shaped bore in the hub of the bevel gear 39 shown in Figures 1 and 2, said gear being suitably supported in intermeshed relation i with a bevel gear 40 carried at the end of a shafttl. The latter is driven bya train of gearing incliuling, successively, the gears 42 and 43, the shaft 44, and the gears l5 and l-(S, the last vmentioned gear being carried by the shaft 12 which is in driving relation to the drive shaft 11i in a manner that has already been noted.

rElie reel proper consists of a pair of spiders 47 and 4 8 fixed to opposite ends of the sleeve 35 and having radial divergent arms 49 and 50. Pivotally mounted at the ends of said arms are the links 57 between which ree blades lexten d and to which they are rigidly attached. be explained. the links 57 on one side of the reel, which are associated with the arms 4 9 of the spider 4.7, are each provided with a short arm 59 extending upon the opposite side of the pivotal connection of said links with their respective spider arms. Each of the reel blades consists of a flat member 51 having a pivot bar mounted longitudinally th reof and slightly spaced therefrom. A seriesof dangling forks is mounted upon said pivot bar. with suitable supports 71 intercalated therebetween. said forks including a short arm 73 adapted to engage with For a purpose which will soonV said reel blade and a long arm 72 which is adapted to extend in straw raising relation toward the surface of the ground. By virtue of the unequal lengths of the arms 7 2 and 7?) the forks assume a gravital position in which the short arm lies adjacent the reel blade rearwardly thereof, the blade acting as a stop to prevent movement of the fork around the pivot bar in one direction. The effect of this is th at when the forks are moved against the grain by the rotation of the reel they are held rigidly in contact with the reel blade by the pressure of the grain, assisting in lifting the latter to the conveyer mechanism on the grain rac-k which will presently be described. But when leaving the grain near the upper portion of the path of rotation of the reel blades, the forks will be rocked in the act of pulling away from the grain, to an inclined position in which the long arms will leave the grain Without dragging` it forward into the reel. f

lt is highly desirable to have thereel blades travel in an oval path having the major axis in a vertical. or substantially vertical relation so as to cause the reel blades to travel downwardly between the standing grain stalks without substantially disturbing their natural position, until near the bases of said stalks, when they move substantially transversely sweeping the butt ends of the grain toward the conveyor mechanism, then upwardly in substantial parallelism to the grain stalks, and transversely backward above the level of the grain heads. In order to produce this orbital path for the reel blades means are provided, for producing a simultaneous oscillatory movement of said reel blades about the pivotal axis of the crank levers. The means employed, in the present instance, consists of a ring 61 which is mounted to rotate eccentrically of the axis of rotation of the reel 19 by being carried upon the eccentric peripheral surface of a bearing block 62 through which passes both the sleeve 35 and the reel rod 20, said bearing lblock being supported by the walls of the slot 21 and rising or falling within said slot as the reel is adjusted to a higher Or lower elevation by the means hereinbefore 'described. The ring 61 is provided with radial arms 60 to which the upper or short arms 59 of the links 57 are pivotally attached` Rotation is imparted to the ring 61 from the positively driven sleeve 35 through the arms 49 of the spider 47 and through the links 57. Since the ring G2 and sleeve 35 are not concentric there will be a relative displacement of the arms 49 and 60 of the spider 47 and ing 61v which gives rise to oscillation of the links 57 about their pivotal axes in the ends of the arms 49. The eccentric bearing block 62 is normally arranged with the point of greatest eecentricity vertical above the axis of rotation of the reel. This causes the orbit of travel of the reel blades, which is the re sultant of the revolution of the reel and the roscillatory movement of the crank levers, to be positioned with a substantially vertical major axis and horizontal minor axis, which fulfils the advantageous requirements above mentioned.

As the grain is not always encountered standing vertically, but frequently blown over so as to be inclined at various angles it becomes desirable to provide means for tilting thema-.jor axis of the orbit travel of the reel blades so that they will handle the straw moet efiiciently. This is done in the present instance by rotating the bearing block 62 soas to shift the axis of greatest eccentricity. Means for accomplishing this is provvided in the form of a lever 64 which is pivotally mounted upon the wall 17 and furnished with a pawl detent 65 engageahle with a toothed rack 66 formed on said wall. 'll he lever 64 is provided with an arm 67 engagn ing a slot in the link 68 which is secured to theeccentric bearing block 62. The slot in said link allows for the rise and fall of the reel when the latter is adjusted for elevation. The effect of shifting the axis of greatest eccentricity of the bearing block 62, is to shift the ring 61 in a translatory manner with respect to the arms of the spider 47 causing the links57 to rock and so change the angularity of the plane of the fiat faces of the reel blades without altering the position of relative parallelism in which they normally lie due to the fact that the crank leversare similar in shape to one another and the reel blades similarly located thereupon.

When the cut grain is laid upon the back wall of the grain rack through the action of the reel, it is engaged by the conveyer mechanism which may preferably be an end.-

vless belt 74 travelling alonO the ledge 15,

b b L' assisted by a. plurality of conveyor' chains 7 5 which are preferably positioned one above the other against the back wall 16 of the grain rack. The lendless belt'7 4 passes over rollers located adjacent the ends of the ledge 15 one of which is shown at 85. The conveyer chainsare preferably supported both forwardly and' rearwardly oftheback wall 1G by guide members 7G and 77,`and may be driven by any suitable means. The driving means here shown consists of a shaft 78 mounted upon therear of the wall 16 and having a sprocket 79 which meshes with the upperniost chain. A shaft 80 is provide-d at the opposite side of the rear face of said wall. having a plurality of sprockets 81 affixed thereto, with which the several chains are in engagement. The uppermost chain is driven by the sprocket 79, through which power is transmitted to the shaft 80 and to the other chains. The transmission means between the shaft 44 and shaft 78 consists of an intermediate shaft S2having bevel gears Y the shaft 89.

at its opposite ends which intermesh with complementarygears at the adjacent ends ofthe shafts'44 and 7 8. A clutch 83 is interposed in said transmission line for a purpose which will be disclosed at a later point in the description. 1n the present instance the endless belt 7 4 is driven by power transmitted from the lowermost chain to a stub-shaft 86 mounted upon the rear wall 16 of the grain rack through suitable mechanism including the inter-engaging bevel gears 87 and l88 and There will naturally be considerable lost mot-ion due to wear in the endless chains which necessitates that means be provided for taking up said lost motion. This is done in the case of the lowermost chain by shifting the bracket 239 which carries the bevel gears 87 and 88 and the chain sprocket bodily toward the left as viewed from Figure 12 and fixing it in its newly adjusted position by means such as the screws 240 which ply in a slot 241 formed in said bracket. To permitthis shift of` the gears 87 and 88 the shaft 89 is formed with aspolygonal lower portion which splinably lits in a similarly shaped socket in the hub of the gear 90 the latter being likewise suitably supported in intermeshing relation with the gear 91 which operates the driving roller 85 of the endless belt.

As fast as the grain is collected upon the conveyer is passes toward the shock forming mechanism into a constricted passage formed between the back walls 16 of the grain rack and a fixed partition 92. lNithinsaid pa sage, and forming a. part thereof is the chute 93. Said chute consists preferably of a flat bottom portion 242, Figures 11 and 12, inclined in substantially the plane of the ledge 15 and having tapering side walls 243 and 244 the height of which increases toward the rearward end of the chute. One end of said chute lies adjacent the belt or roller 85 while the other end is free, resting upon the nose 96 of a supporting` bracket 94. Said bracket is adjustably secured by any suitable means such as screws, toa fixed part of the machine, for instance the wall of the shockforming chamber, and affords means by which the free end of the chute may be adj ustably raised or lowered. That end of the chute which lies adjacent the roller 85 is pivotaliy carried by the eccentric pin of a crank 429, the latter being journalled in suitablebearings in the.

platform 1 and being driven by means such as the sprocket 421 on the crank shaft,'and a cooperating sprocket 422 formed integral with or fixed to the; bevel gear 91. A-c'hain 423 transmits power to the cra-nk, the rotation of the latter producing both'an upl and down movement and a forward and backwardY movement of the chute. These motions have the effect of assisting` in adjusting the butts of the cut grain stalks fand also facilitate the. movement of the grain toward the shock lll) forming chamber. The object of the chut-e, as will hereinafter be shown, is to elevate the grain stalks th at the sheaves of grain will be uniformly tied at an intermediate portion regardless of the height of the growing grain. This is essential for the satisfactory performance of the shock forming operation. The bracket 94e is manually set to the pro-per posit-ion of elevation by the operator of the machine according to the degree of tallness of the grain that is to be harvested.

The free end of the chute constitutes a part of the bundle forming chamber in which the grain is collected and tied into a sheaf before deliveryv into the shock forming chainber. The latter lies adjacent the free end of the chute 93 and is preferably formed by a frusto-conical wall comprising a fixed front portion 97 and a rearward hinged portion forming a door 08 capable of assuming closed relation with respect to the lined portion during the shock forming period, and of being opened thereafter leaving the shock upon the ground as the machine continues its forward travel, the platform l being so shaped as to leave the shock forming chamber bottomless.

llVhen the door 98 is closed there reina-ins a permanently open passage 99 leading from the free end of the chute into the shock forming chamber, through which a sheaf, under certain conditions, may enter in order to take its place as part of the forming shock. A plate 100, however, normally projects across the passage 90 and acts as a barrier to theV entrance of grain into the shock forming chamber until said grain has been formed into a sheaf of predetermined and uniformv size. v

rlhe grain which falls upon the conveyer mechanism is progressively gathered against the plate 100 by the action ofthe packing arms 101 and 102. Said arms are arranged as superposed levers each pivotally mounted at an intermediate point to oppositely arranged cranks on a shaft 104. The remote ends of said packing arms are pivotally connected to swinging links 105, the latter being pivotally mounted to a fixed part of the machine, such, for instance as, the block 106. Because of the connection of the packing' arms to the cranks 103 and to said swinging links, rotation of the shaft 10st imparts to the free ends of said packing arms, which project through slots in the partition 92 into the path of the oncoming grain, a more or less elliptical motion that each packing arm withdraws itself from thepath of the grain when it reaches a point adjacent the plate 100 and remains retracted until it reaches a forward position when it is again'projected operatively into the path of the moving grain. The opposite arrangement of the cranks 103 upon the shaft 104` gives an alternate movement to the pack ing arms.

Theplate 100 forms the angular end of an the functions of which coordinate upwardly extending bar 107, the top part of which is pivotally connected to a shaft 108 in such manner as to be capable of two motions, an oscillatory movement axially of the shaft 108, by which an oscillatory movement is imparted to said shaft, and a swinging motion relative to the shaft. The oscillatory motion of the bar 107 is performed when a fully formed and tied sheaf pushes, with predetermined pressure against the angularly shaped plate 100 and the swinging motion is performed through means which will presently be described, and has for its purpose to withdraw the plate 100 from the path of the sheaf when the latter has achieved sumcient proportions to be ready for admission to the shock forming chamber. lt may be here stated parent-hetically that the grain, iin-- pelled by the packing arms against the plate 100 runs into a loop of binder twine which lies across its path and is bound into a sheaf by the usual knotting mechanism. The latter not being a part of the present invention has been omitted from the drawings and description in the interest of clarity, with the exception of the element 416, shown in Fig* ure 7, which represents the base of the needle which carries the binder twine, the rest of the needle being broken away.

Those parts of the mechanism of my improved harvesting and shock forming machine which are cont-inuously and positively driven by purely mechanical means have now been described with the exception of t ie single clutch element 109 which is secured, in the illustrative embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, at the top of the vertical shaft 14. This clutch element is provided peripherally with a plurality of teeth 300 and is adapted to cooperate with a complementary clutch element 153, at times which may be determined by ,any one of several instru mentalities associated with the shock forming machine and which will in due course be described. The clutch formed by these two elements controls means for driving the rotary valve 110 the purpose of which is to distribute fluid pressure to the' various means,

in the performance of the shock forming operation. Fluid pressure is supplied to the upper' face of the rotary valve through a conduit 111 leading from a compressed air storage tank 112. This tank, in practice, may be of any desired shape and located at any convenient point upon the machine but I have found it convenient in the present embodiment of the invention to form the 'tank as a jacket partially surrounding the outside of the wall of the shock forming chamber.

The rotary valve 110 is seated within a preferably two-part casing 113, said parts beingl secured together in any suitable manner as by cap screws 114. The lower part of said casing is formed with a pair of concentric its opposite ends in the arcuate grooves 115 and116 which terminate atene end inthe respective apertures 117 and 118, said apertures passing through the lower part of the valve casing and being connected' by the conduits 119 and 120 to the opposite part of the ct sing and is connected by a conduit 1241wit-h the lower ends of the cylinders 125v and 133, the purpose of which will presently be explained. rit`he opposite or inner endof the groove 122 is blind. rthe groovesk V115, 116 and 122 open in the upper surface of the wall Vof the lower partv of the casing, which is carefully machined. The lower part of thecasing is also formed with an aperture 126 which extends clear through the wall of said: casingpartand is connected by conduit 127 and 354 with the upper ends of the cylinders 125 and 138; The aperture 126 is in the projected circumference of the groove 115, but isolated from any of the grooves or apertures heretofore mentioned.A

The lower casingpart is iianged as shown at- 128, being thus formed with a depression in which is seated the relatively fixed ported plate 129. This plate is secured to the lower casing part-inany suitable' manner as by the screws 130 vand is formed with concentric series of ports, one of said series registering L outer series of ports,y at which point it terminatesin an exhaust port 334 opening in the upper face of said ported plate. The upper pa-rt of the casing 113 is formed with a valve chamber 133 which snugly fits the peripheral surface of the rotary valve 110 and guides it in its rotary movement. Said chamber is of suchv size as to Aafford an air space above said valve, with which space the compressed air supply conduit 111 communicates as shown in Figure 17. The rotary valve formed with a pair of apertures 134 and 135 extending therethrough and so placed as to'register respectively with adjacent ports in the inner and outer concentric' series as the valveis rotated. An exhaust passage 136 is arranged in said rotary valve'at equal radial anglesbeV tween the apertures 134- and 135, said eX- haust passage opening in the lower face of the rotary valve inthe form of a slot 137 of sufficient length to lie inthe path of both the inner and'outer series ofl ports in the ported plate 129. The exhaust passage 136 com municatesiwith a vertical discharge passage 139 formed byl permanently registering bores in the rotary valve, ported plate, and lower part of the casing, and opening to the at mosphere; The rotary valve. 11C-is normally heldin gas-tightv relation lagainst itsl seat tering annular grooves-V14O communicating vith the chamber 133 by a bleed passage 141, providing a counter-pressure upon the lower face of the rotary valve which maybe designed to assume any desired value depending upon the area of the grooves 140. The rotary valve is provided with a1 boss 142 having a slot 143 in its upper face, said slot tapering longitudinally and being engaged by a similarly shaped interlocking projection 144 on the-lower end of-a` coupling element 145. The object ofthe asymmetrical shapeof said slot and the projection is' to ensure that the rotary valve always shall be connected in the same relation to the coupling member when reassemblingthe parts, so that the syn'- chronousoperation ofthe valve` with the other parts of the machine shall not be die# turbed 4The coupling'element 145 makes a sealing fit with a hollow boss 146 formed on the upper part of the casing, and within which it is rotatable.

Secured in any suitable manner to the coupling elementis a notched disk 147 which constitutes the means ferrotating the rotary valve. Said disk in the present embodiment of the invention is provided withA twenty-one notches, and between said notchesthe peripheral surface ofthe disk is formed with sha1 low arcuate depressions 148 which terminate short of said notches leaving slightprojectf ing shoulders 152. y

The shaft 44 arises adjacent the' notched disk 147 and has freely mounted thereupon the actuating means 149 by which step by step rotation is imparted to the notched disk. Said actuating means includes a pin 15() arranged concentrically ofthe afrisfof rotation ofsaid ac'tuating'means and which is adapted to fit into the notches of said. disk and its own rotation to cause vthe disk to progress through a predetermined angle. An arcuate barrel 151 is arranged concentrically upon the actuating means, being cut away adiacent the pin 150 to form a space between said pin 

